Soups
Lotus Leaf & Winter Melon Soup (Heye Donggua Tang)
Lotus Leaf & Winter Melon Soup is a classic heat-clearing medicinal soup from the Dietary Therapy (《饮食疗法》). Lotus leaf is fragrant, slightly bitter, and neutral in nature, with the ability to “clear summer heat, quench thirst, and dispel fire heat” (《本草从新》), while also raising clear yang and refreshing the head and eyes. Winter melon is sweet and bland, cold in nature, clearing summer heat without harming the body’s integrity; its rind is an excellent diuretic. Together, they create a refreshing soup used for summer-dampness conditions with fever, thirst, dizziness, headache, and scanty dark urine. Additionally, lotus leaf’s dampness-transforming and blood-stasis-dispelling effects, combined with winter melon’s diuretic action, make this formula useful as an adjunct for phlegm-blood stasis type obesity.
Main Ingredients
- Fresh lotus leaf 1/4 sheet
- Fresh winter melon 500g
- Salt to taste
Steps
Rinse 1/4 fresh lotus leaf and cut or tear into small pieces. If using 15-20g dried lotus leaf, soak in warm water for 10-15 minutes until soft, and wash off surface dust. Peel and deseed 500g of winter melon, wash, and cut into thin slices or small chunks.
Place lotus leaf and winter melon in a pot with about 1000-1500ml of water. Bring to a boil over high heat, then reduce to low heat and simmer for 20-30 minutes until the winter melon is tender.
Discard the lotus leaf just before serving (it is not eaten – only its fragrance and medicinal properties are used). Add a small amount of salt to taste. Drink the soup and eat the winter melon, 1 dose daily, divided into 2 servings.
TCM Notes
Lotus Leaf: Contains various alkaloids including nelumbine, pronuciferine, and nuciferine, as well as vitamin C, citric acid, malic acid, gluconic acid, oxalic acid, succinic acid, and other active compounds. Nuciferine contributes to clearing summer heat, raising clear yang, and transforming dampness. Winter Melon: Contains protein, carbohydrates, and small amounts of calcium, phosphorus, iron, and other minerals, as well as vitamin C, folic acid, and citrulline. It contains propanol diacid, which helps prevent weight gain. Both the rind and seeds of winter melon are traditional Chinese medicines for clearing heat and promoting diuresis. Synergistic Effect: Lotus leaf clears summer heat and transforms dampness; winter melon promotes diuresis and clears heat. Together, they achieve the effects of dispelling summer heat, removing dampness, clearing heat, and promoting urination. This soup is very low in calories (approx. 40-55 kcal per 100g) and rich in potassium (approx. 390mg per 100g) – a light, low-sodium medicinal soup.
Suitable for：Those with summer-warmth or damp-warmth conditions, with symptoms of fever, irritability, dizziness, headache, thirst, and scanty dark urine Those with summer heat, thirst, difficult urination, and edema Those with phlegm-blood stasis type obesity (adjunctive support) Those with acne and skin boils (adjunctive support) General population for summer heat relief and daily wellness
Not suitable for：Those with Spleen-Stomach Cold Deficiency – both lotus leaf and winter melon are cooling; may cause diarrhea and abdominal pain Pregnant women – use with caution; consult a doctor before consuming Women during menstruation – lotus leaf is very cooling and may impede menstrual flow Those with hypotension – use with caution Chronic kidney disease patients – not recommended for weight-loss purposes due to fluid restriction Those allergic to lotus leaf or winter melon Not suitable for long-term excessive consumption – may cause gastrointestinal discomfort
